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New Mexico Research Exposition 2013 Set for Tuesday, April 16

By University Communication & Marketing — April 08, 2013

The University of New Mexico hosts the New Mexico Research Exposition 2013 on Tuesday, April 16, from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., at the UNM Student Union Building, Ballrooms A, B and C. The purpose is to showcase research at UNM and statewide through invited talks, a poster exhibition and special exhibits and to initiate new collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects. All Expo events are free to all students, faculty, staff, interested researchers and the general public.

One of the special research exhibits will be prototypes of various components of the Mars Rover Curiosity, which landed inside Mars' huge Gale Crater this past August. UNM Research Professor and Scientist Horton Newsom is part of the ChemCam team on the Mars Rover Curiosity. The ChemCam has been obtaining photos and data in an effort to analyze the chemistry of rocks and soil on Mars and determine if there is evidence of microbial life on the planet.

Other exhibitors include: Army Corps of Engineers, UNM's Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER), highlighting their scientific research and education functions, and the Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC).

The luncheon keynote address will be given by Ken Nealson, Wrigley Chair for Environmental Studies and professor of Earth Sciences and Biological Science at the University of Southern California. His talk entitled, "Breathing Rocks – Bacterial Extracellular Electron Transfer: From Geobiology to Electricity Production, Bioremediation, and Beyond," will be held at 12:30 p.m. The luncheon is free, but pre-registration is required.

Invited talks will be held throughout the day by notable New Mexico faculty and researchers.

Invited talks will include:

8:15 – 9:15 a.m., Horton Newsom, Sennior Research Scienntist, Innstitute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico, on "Adventures with Curiosity, The Mars Science Laboratory- Perspectives from a Science Team Member."

More than 60 scientific research posters will be on display throughout the day portraying the work of undergraduate and graduate students and research faculty members. Best of Show awards will be given to the top graduate and undergraduate students.

The day will conclude with the Annual Research Lecture awarded and presented by College of Pharmacy faculty member, Scott Burchiel. The lecture will be held at 6:30 pm in the SUB, Ballrooms A & B with a reception at 5:30 pm. The award is one of the highest honors UNM bestows on its faculty. The title of the lecture is "ToxicoGenomic Bases for Human Susceptibility to Environmental Injury and Disease." Burchiel is an expert in immunotoxicology and environmental carcinogenesis and has been continually funded by NIH for over 25 years.